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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · bark · plane · wind · trunk · can · last · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. can — a tin
  3. wind — moving air
  4. swing — in golf
  5. last — finally
  6. current — electric
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bark — to shout
  11. swing — music
  12. current — of water
  13. last — to go on
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. can — a tin
  16. last — final
  17. can — to be able to
  18. swing — to play on
  19. plane — a tool
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bark — a dog's sound

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com